TNG:TCF- Of Dreams and Realities
by CharlieGreene
Summary: Charlotte begins to have very realistic dreams of a life aboard the Enterprise that she never lived.
1. Chapter 1

**I own Charlotte Hope and Lt. Finch, and a TNG boxed set, but nothing else, unfortunately. Please r/r.**

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Charlotte brushed a stray hair out of her face and squinted at the readings on the scanner. Sighing in frustration, she looked over at her commanding officer, Lieutenant Finch.

"Nothing."

"Are you absolutely certain?" he asked coming over to check for himself. "Have you tried Monophasic-"

"Monophasic readouts, yeah, yeah, I tried 'em. I've tried all the standard scans and even a once-over med-scan. They don't tell us anything we don't already know."

Finch glanced over at the pile of palm-sized crystals on a table. "This is one hell of a mystery. How about you take one to Sickbay for a more intensive med-scan- maybe they'll be able to find something we can't."

"Meanwhile, I'll try cross-referencing everything we have on these crystals- I can't believe we've never come across anything like this."

"Yeah, go ahead."

Charlotte slipped two of the crystals into her pocket and left the lab. After dropping one off at Sickbay, she decided to take the other one to her quarters, as it was almost the end of her shift and there was no reason in going back to the lab.

"Computer, take all information on the crystals being analysed in Science and cross-reference with all available databases. Send information to my file." She crossed that room to her computer and set the mysterious crystal next to the screen. Tapping the computer on, she gave an exhausted sigh and rubbed her head. Another headache was coming on. She had neglected her sleep lately- goodness knows why. Just because she didn't age didn't mean she didn't need to sleep. Maybe that was what she needed now- a good snooze. Her tired eyes fell on the crystal- small, shiny and a most unusual colour, and for some reason, impenetrable to their scans. It could have been carrying a parasite or have medical properties- and they wouldn't know. She straightened and stared at her computer screen again. She needed to solve this mystery; she needed to find out what these damned crystals were…

But she was so tired…Her head nodded and her eyes began to close. Before she knew it, she had surrendered herself to sleep…

_Dream_

"…Now, have you finished packing?"

Charlotte shook her head. "I'm not going, Papa.

"What?" Johnson frowned. "Of course you are. You can't stay here- I need you!"

"No you don't." She squared her shoulders and looked him in the eye. "You don't need anyone- not yet anyway. If you're desperate for company, go and get Annie from Venus 3- I'm sure she'd be thrilled to travel with you. But I want to stay on board- if it's ok with the Captain, that is."

Picard eyed the girl, then turned to Johnson. "You do realise that I have no authority in family matters?" He cleared his throat and turned to Charlotte. "I have no aversion to you staying on board, Miss Hope, provided you take responsibility for yourself and plan to enter Starfleet; in which case, staying here would be an advantage. But if your grandfather insists on you leaving, I can't stop him from forcing you to."

Charlotte turned her eyes to Johnson. "Oh, please, Papa," she begged, "It would be a good experience for me. Please?"

Johnson sighed, defeated. "You cause no trouble, y'hear? And if there's a problem, stay in the safe areas. I mean it. Don't go getting yourself-"

"Oh, thank you, Papa!" Charlotte threw her arms around him and grinned excitedly at Picard. "I promise I won't be any trouble. I'll do whatever you tell me to and I'll stay out of your way…"

"Alright." Picard held a up a hand, smiling at her eagerness. "I'm sure you will. But Lieutenant, I believe they're expecting you at 1300 hours, and it's nearly that now. I recommend that you make your goodbyes quickly."

"Of course." Johnson clutched Charlotte's hands. "My dear, is this truly what you want?"

"Yes." She smiled sadly. "There's nothing for me back on Earth. Even travelling wouldn't be the same. Here, I have friends, and a chance to serve on the flagship of the Federation. Not many people have that opportunity. I love you, Papa. But I must stay."

"I love you too." He embraced her tightly. "Goodbye, my dear."

"I will walk you to the transporter room." She nodded to Picard. "Thanks, Captain."

As Picard watched them leave, he wondered whether the two of them would ever see each other again.

_End Dream_

Charlotte woke with a start and stared at the numbers on her screen. She had slept for two hours! Stretching in her chair, she thought back to the dream she had just had. It had been very real- more real than her usual dreams. For a moment, she had really believed that she never left the _Enterprise-D. _

Tears threatened to cloud her eyes as she stood up, rubbing her neck. She should never have left. She had missed so much and gained so little- who know, maybe she would've been able to prevent Data from being destroyed…

_Now stop, _she told herself, taking a deep breath before she started bawling,_ You've been down this road before. There's nothing to be gained by it. Just stop think about it. Just stop._


	2. Chapter 2

_Dream_

"Councillor!" Charlotte looked up from her books to smile at Deanna. "What can I do for you?"

"I thought maybe we could talk."

"Go ahead."

"How have you been feeling?" Deanna sat down on the couch and studied the younger girl's bent head.

"Oh, fine… maybe a little tired. I haven't been sleeping much lately."

Deanna nodded in understanding. "Sleeplessness is a factor that features a lot after a breakup; however I'm not sensing any negative feelings from you-"

"Wait…" Charlotte stared at Deanna. "Breakup?"

"Yes, your breakup with Lieutenant-Commander Data. That's what I came to talk to you about."

"Deanna, I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. We haven't broken up!"

Deanna looked taken aback. "I'm sorry, I just assumed that as he and Lieutenant Jenna D'Sora-"

"Are dating? Yes, I know. I authorised it."

"You _what?_"

Charlotte sighed and put her book and pen to the side. "Lately, I've been studying hard in preparation for entering Starfleet Academy. I'm hoping to spend as little time as possible there. As a result, I haven't had much time for anything- or anyone- else. So when Jenna came to see me the other day, confessing that she had feelings for Data, I told her to go for it. I think it would be beneficial for him."

"Oh?" Deanna frowned. "How?"

"In our relationship, Data doesn't have to do much," she explained. "I take care of everything- not that there's much to take care of, but you get my point. I'm the one who initiated the relationship, and I'm the one who organizes the dates. Data just goes along with it, because he hasn't had any experience. But Jenna… she's the type who might want male leadership. This could be a learning experience for Data."

"But…" Deanna bit her lip, unsure of how to proceed. "Are you sure you know what you're doing? I mean, a learning experience is one thing, but Jenna's feelings are another. Do you believe you have everything under control?"

Charlotte reached for her book again, already beginning to zone out. "Oh, sure."

Deanna stood up. "Well, if you think everything's fine…" she said doubtfully.

Charlotte's attention was no longer on the Betazoid. "Mm-hm."

Deanna headed to the door and saw herself out. There was no point in her staying. There was nothing she could do.

Geordie, however, was not so easy to put off.

"Look, I'm Data's friend and I think I have the right to know what's going on, but I really don't understand!"

Charlotte was finding it difficult to give equal attention to Geordie and her study material. Idly, she wondered what it would be like to have a positronic brain, and to be able to focus on many different things at once. "Well, you don't have to, since it's really none of your business."

"I'm just trying to help!"

"I don't need your help."

"Have you ever thought about the future?" Geordie asked, leaning forward. "What about when you've finished studying? By then, the man you love won't have time for you, because what you thought was just an 'educational experience' will have turned into something more serious. It might already have done. Is that what you want?"

"Lieutenant, I know what I'm doing," said Charlotte, who had only been half listening. "Now if you don't mind, I'm rather busy."

Geordie shook his head and turned to leave. "I'm telling you, you've made a big mistake."

Charlotte heard him but didn't reply, rapidly immersing herself in her studies once again.

At 0900 hours, Charlotte lay on her belly on the carpet, feet waving in the air, surrounded by thick books and PADDs of all sizes, sketching a warp coil. Beside her pencil case were half-finished diagrams of the core, a holo-emitter and several ships' systems, strewn lazily amidst everything else.

The door chirped, and she automatically responded with 'come in' before she had thought about whether she actually wanted guests or not.

Jenna walked in, her face expressing surprise at seeing Charlotte on the floor.

Charlotte stretched and put down her pencil. Switching to a more dignified position, she sat up and eyed the older girl with a feeling she couldn't name. "Lieu… Jenna! What can I do for you?"

"I came to talk." Jenna looked down, perceiving coldness in Charlotte's gaze. "I just thought you should know that… I've broken it off with Data."

"You _what?_" Charlotte jumped to her feet, more anxious and excited than she thought she would be. "Sit down! Tell me everything!

Jenna obligingly sat. "It was because-"

"No, no, no, I don't wanna know why yet. Tell me everything from the beginning."

Jenna took a deep breath. "Ok. It started off great- I mean he did ask advice from a lot of people, which I found a little disconcerting, but he was sweet. He brought me flowers and listened when I talked. Oh," she added hastily, "and before you ask why he didn't ask you for advice, I…I discouraged him. I was afraid you'd change your mind."

"That's alright," Charlotte replied, smiling a little. "I wouldn't have been very hospitable if he did come."

"Well, he created a subroutine, a sort of 'relationship program'. All those programed responses, everything he did, it was all too soon. It was confusing. He didn't know what to do, and he was trying too hard. And then later I realised that I'd made the same mistake that I did last time- I had fallen for an emotionless man." She shook her head. "It just wasn't going to work. So I decided to break it off."

"When did you do it?"

"Last night."

"And... how are you feeling?"

"Oh, you know, I'll get over it." Jenna stood up. "I should get to engineering. I just thought I should tell you."

"Ok."

At the door, Jenna turned back to Charlotte, who was lowering herself onto the floor again. "Charlotte?"

Charlotte looked at Jenna, all coldness gone, and gave her a genuine smile. "Yeah?"

"With Data… how do you do it?"

"I don't know. I guess we're just right for each other."

Later on, as she finished labelling her diagrams, Charlotte thought about Data. She could see that her studies had got in the way of everything that was important to her. She had let them drift apart; she had neglected the one she held most dear. Something had to be done.

After packing everything away, Charlotte went to 10-Forward to think and drink- and to apologise to Guinen, who had visited her earlier, concerned like everyone else. Charlotte had snapped at her, called her a busy-body, something she deeply regretted.

Guinen accepted the apology graciously, and challenged Charlotte to a game of chess. Five games and four drinks later, Charlotte went back to her quarters to await the end of Data's shift.

Charlotte stood in the doorway of Data's quarters, smiling shyly. "Hi Data."

"Good afternoon," he replied from his console.

She walked inside and stood next of him. "What are you doing?"

"I am reviewing several diagnostics from different ships' systems while also running a weekly self-diagnostic of my circuitry."

"Oh. Well, I was wondering…" she shifted nervously from foot to foot while inwardly wondering why she was so nervous, "…if you'd like to go out later. On the holodeck. Like a date."

"Are you not preoccupied with studying for Starfleet Academy?"

"No, I've decided to take a break from studying to spend some time with you. If that's alright, I mean."

Data turned in his chair to look at her. "What time do you wish me to accompany you?"

Charlotte felt a grin spreading over her face. "Is an hour from now ok?"

"That will be satisfactory."

"Great!" Charlotte skipped over to the door. "See you then!"

And, feeling blissful, she knew that once more, everything was alright.


	3. Chapter 3

_Dream_

Very early in the morning, as the engines of the _Enterprise_ humming gently while it flew through space, a white ghost in a long white nightgown and bare feet drifted down a dimmed corridor and into a Turbo Lift. Moments later, the doors opened on the Bridge, and the 'ghost' drifted down the ramp.

Data looked at the girl with something like surprise. "Civilians are not allowed on the Bridge, Charlotte. And should you not be in bed?"

Charlotte tucked her skirts around her and settled into the second command chair. "I couldn't sleep," she said quietly, ignoring the curious stares of the other officers at their consoles. She turned to him and held his gaze. "I just needed to talk to you one last time before I leave."

"You are preoccupied with the fact that you are leaving for the Academy?"

"Yes. I've been on this ship for three or four years. I've made friends. And now I'm going to Earth again and I don't know whether I'll ever come back. I mean, who's to say that I'll be transferred here after I graduate?"

"Captain Picard may request to have you on board."

She leaned forward. "Could you make sure he does?"

"I will try."

"Thank you," she sighed. "That's a load of my mind, anyway." She smiled fondly at the android, _her_ android, who she had grown to love and depend on, and fitted her hand into his. "What am I going to do without you?"

"You will make friends at the Academy," Data replied softly. "You will not need me. You may even forget me."

"No! I would never forget you!"

His frank gaze unnerved her for a moment. "It is not impossible."

Before she could reply, the doors opened, and Commander Riker walked in with a number of other officers behind him. "Report!" After Data had recited a short list, Riker's eyes fell on Charlotte. "Miss Hope! You do know this is a restricted area?"

Charlotte got up and smiled at him. "I only came to talk to Da… Commander-Lieutenant Data. Don't worry, I'm going now."

As she disappeared into the Turbo Lift, Riker grinned at Data and called out: "Start morning shift!"

Data headed up the ramp as the fresh officers replaced the previous ones and the lights brightened. The day had begun.


	4. Chapter 4

Guinen eyed Charlotte, shaking her head. "You look like you haven't had a wink of sleep."

Charlotte rubbed her eyes and groaned. "Yeah, I've been staying up late trying to analyse those damn crystals. It's crazy, Guinen. They have mass and shape, and I can see them, but I can't scan them. It's like they don't exist properly. Nothing like it has ever been discovered before, so the records are no help." She yawned. "And when I _do_ go to bed, I have strange dreams."

"Like?"

"Imagine you've gone back in time and you're watching yourself. That's what it's like, but it's not just reliving memories. It's like I'm watching things that never happened. Instead of leaving with Papa, I stay on the ship. I study for the Academy and get reassigned back here when I graduate. It's everything I wanted."

"And that disturbs you?"

"My subconscious is living the life I always wanted to live. Wouldn't you find that a little strange?"

"Maybe."

"But they're not just dreams." Charlotte ran her fingers through her hair, exasperated. "They're as real as memories. Memories that don't exist. It's driving me crazy."

"Try not to dwell on it too much. After all, they are just dreams."

"I'll try." Charlotte took the glass offered and looked at Guinen thoughtfully. "You haven't changed a bit in 12 years."

Guinen smiled. "Neither have you. In fact, you don't look a day over 18."

"I think I'm supposed to be somewhere around 30. I stopped counting after I realised I wasn't going to age past 19."

"Did people think it was strange?"

"Yes, very. In-between classes, I was examined by all the top doctors and scientists, but they couldn't determine anything." Charlotte leaned forward confidentially. "I did some research, and it turned out my maternal grandfather was of unknown origin. He disappeared 20 years after marrying grandma. Rumour has it that never aged past 25, and that he had some sort of control over the elements. But I don't know how much of that is true."

"It's possible that it may all be true, in which case, you're not completely human."

"Exactly, which is why I didn't tell anyone my findings. I don't want to become a specimen. I'd rather live an ordinary human life. I'll just live a little longer, that's all."

"I don't think there is such a word as 'ordinary'"

"Maybe." Charlotte drained her glass and stood up. "I should get to work."


	5. Chapter 5

_Dream_

The doors opened, and 2 officers entered 10-Forward. They headed for the bar, and the first one- an Ensign fresh from the Academy- grinned with delight at the bartender.

"Guinen! It's so good to see you again!"

"It's good to see you, too. What can I get you?"

"I feel like..." The girl thought for a moment, then her eyes twinkled as she looked at her companion. "Kava juice"

The bartender moved away, and the other officer turned to the girl. "Charlotte, you would do well to remember that Kava juice stimulates your powers, and that later, you may lose control."

"I am very well aware of that, thanks, Data."

Guinen slid the drink across. "Is there something I'm missing?"

Charlotte took a sip of the drink and winked at Guinen. "Watch this."

She set the glass down and stared at it. Her hand came up, and so did the punch. The drink lifted itself out of the glass like a liquid snake and hung in the air. With a gesture of her hand, it slowly floated through the air, around Guinen's head, and back into the glass. In a moment, it was nothing but a glass of punch.

Charlotte laughed at Guinen's stare and took another sip. "I have the ability to manipulate water and other certain objects; and I can also change the molecules of my body if I concentrate. My powers are stimulated by Kava juice, which I discovered at the Academy after a rather embarrassing incident. I've since learnt to control these powers, and I don't use them very often."

Guinen looked at Data. "And you knew about this?"

"I was told of it via subspace communications while Ensign Hope was still at the Academy."

Charlotte pouted. "I'm not on duty yet, _Commander_. You may call me by my first name." She grinned. "Oh, I'm so happy to be here among old friends! Thank you so much for getting Captain Picard to request me!"

"The Captain was glad to see you back. And I have…" Data searched for the right word. "…Missed you."

"Aw, I missed you too, Data."

Guinen, who had gotten over her shock, smiled to herself. "I'll leave you two alone."

"Ok, see-ya." Charlotte downed her punch and pulled Data's arm. "Come on, I wanna go say hi to Geordie and tell him I'll be working with him."

People smiled at the couple as they went past, surprised to see Lieutenant-Commander Data being dragged along by the perky little Ensign on her first day. Some frowned at the obvious lack of distance between them. Charlotte didn't see any of them. It was her first day, and everything was perfect.


	6. Chapter 6

Charlotte stared up at the stars twinkling from her window and sighed. It was no good. She just couldn't fall asleep.

Groaning, she dragged herself out of bed and stumbled over to the replicator. "Hot chocolate." Taking it, she took a sip, scalding her tongue, and headed back to bed.

The room seemed to shift, almost imperceptibly. She frowned and looked around, but her tired eyes didn't notice anything wrong. She stepped forward to put the drink on the ledge next to her bed, but then jumped back, barely stifling a shriek. Hot liquid splashed over her hand, but she barely noticed as she stared at the person in her bed. Stared… at herself.

"I'm dreaming," she whispered in amazement as the sleeping girl sighed and turned over in her sleep. "This is just a dream. A very realistic dream…" She suddenly became aware of the burn on her hand, realising at the same time that she should have woken up when the drink splashed her. The pain seemed real, so why wasn't she awake yet?

As she slowly made her way to the bathroom, she now noticed slight changes in the room- the windows were angled differently, and come to think of it, the desk was in the wrong place.

After quickly surveying the bathroom and finding nothing odd, she ran her hand under cool water and stared at herself in the mirror. This wasn't like her usual dreams, and they were realistic enough. This time, she didn't even remember falling asleep.

Coming back into the bedroom, she caught sight of an outfit hanging over a chair. It was a uniform- an old uniform. Fine, so she was dreaming of the past. She usually did; only, not this intensely. It was starting to worry her. She touched her hand, wincing at its tenderness and expecting to wake up. Nothing. She pinched herself. Still nothing.

Now seriously worried, she sat down on the couch and stared at her sleeping double. This was not a dream. Somehow, she had been transported back in time, back to the _Enterprise-D_. But she had never served on-board, so who was the girl in the bed?

Charlotte thought back to her dreams. In them, she had stayed on the ship, studied too hard, entered the Academy and been reassigned there when she graduated. None of that had ever happened in real life, and she had thought it was all the product of a restless mind, combined with her missing Data. But there was the uniform- if this was the past, it was the past of her dreams. And that would have to mean her dreams were real. So the only explanation would be… that all this was an alternate universe set in the past.

Charlotte's head began to hurt after coming to this sudden conclusion, and she had a sudden desire to talk to someone. She headed to the door and stepped into the darkened corridor. Lulled by the dimmed lights and low hum of the warp drive, she drifted, letting instinct guide her through hallways and turbo lifts until she found herself outside a door she recognised.

The room was bright compared to the rest of the ship. A familiar-looking violin lay on a shelf along with a few books, and a face she hadn't seen in twelve years looked at her in surprise from the console in the middle of the room.

"Charlotte?"

Charlotte held back the tears that threatened to fall and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Hi," she managed to choke out, resisting the urge to fly into his arms.

Data stood up and approached her. "I presume you are here because you could not sleep. Am I correct?"

"You got me," Charlotte replied shakily.

"Insomnia is often a result of a restless mind. Perhaps you would like to talk?" He gestured to the couch, and they both sat down. Once they were seated, Charlotte couldn't stop herself from leaning against his chest, savouring the feeling of something she thought she'd never feel again. Data looked down at her, faintly puzzled but not about to complain.

"Would you like a beverage?" he asked hospitably. "Perhaps some tea?"

"No, thank you," she murmured, smiling a little. "I'm fine. Just… put your arm around me." He did so, and she snuggled into him, hoping that this wasn't a dream after all.

They sat there in silence. After a while, she reluctantly straightened up and gave him a peck on the cheek, smiling apologetically. "I really don't want to leave, but I should go before I fall asleep on you." _That would bring trouble in the morning,_ she thought.

Data nodded and let her extract herself from his arm. "Was there nothing you wanted to talk about?"

"No, not really. I guess I just needed a hug."

Charlotte quickly left, afraid that she would never leave, or else start crying. After getting the computer to direct her to her quarters, she found herself back where she started.

_Now what do I do?_ she thought, looking around the room. _I can't stay here, but how do I get back?_

As she wondered, a totally unrelated thought crossed her mind- her most recent dream. It was her first day back on board, and she had performed a neat trick for Guinen after drinking Kava juice.

She then thought back to her mysterious ancestor who may or may not have had control over the elements. If it was true, and the 'other Charlotte' had those powers, then maybe she did too!

Just then, Charlotte caught sight of an almost imperceptible shimmer in the middle of the room. She approached it cautiously, then realised that it was in the exact place that she had been when everything changed. She stuck her head through it and found herself looking into her own quarters on the Enterprise-E. Here, then, was how she had come through- and how she was going to return. Without a second thought, she stepped through, and abruptly stood on the crystal that was lying on the floor.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed loudly, hopping on one foot. She picked up the crystal and chucked it onto her couch in irritation. As she fell into bed, she vaguely noticed the ripple, which disappeared when she threw the crystal. But she was too tired to think about anything but her tiredness. She dropped her head thankfully onto her pillow and fell asleep.

In another universe, Charlotte jolted awake and stared around the room. For a moment, she thought she saw a flash of white in the middle of the room, and heard a voice speak. But there was nothing there. She shook her head and fell back onto her pillow, surrendering herself once more to sleep.


End file.
